Cottage Cheese

Anyone here with New Year’s resolution to eat healthier and be fitter? I am raising my hand. You are welcome to join the club. You see, those happy holidays beginning from Thanksgiving and ending with New Year’s eve—all involving lots of delicious food—took a toll on my weight. Not much, but still visible to my critical eye. And I am determined to go back to my pre-holidays routine—eating healthier, without overindulging, keeping in mind that moderation is key, and exercising.

Let’s start from today’s recipe. Healthy pancakes. It is possible? Yes, it is! I got the recipe from a new e-cookbook, just published by my friend, fitness and healthy living coach Ayka. She is a rock and so is her book! Check it out – 100 healthy recipes!

Back to pancakes. It’s a great recipe. No flour, no sugar is used here. Good ingredients only – oats, cottage cheese, banana, and egg whites. The result is absolutely amazing. The pancakes are tender to the bite and flavorful. Just right. Makes it easier to stick to my resolution.

Put the ingredients into a blender and blend until well mixed, a few seconds. Your pancake batter is ready. It will be pourable but not too runny.

Heat a non-stick frying pan or a griddle pan over medium heat and spray it with fat-free cooking spray or use any oil of your choice (coconut oil works great).

Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter for each pancake into the pan, cover with a lid, and cook until the pancakes hold their shape are have slightly puffed up (do not expect them to puff up dramatically – a little puffing is normal), and have browned on the bottom, about a minute, then flip and cook the other side for another minute or so.

Serve the pancakes immediately, drizzling them with honey.

* You can substitute cottage cheese with curd cheese or farmer’s cheese. Note, however, that the three ingredients have a different texture, cottage cheese being softer and watery, curd cheese being less watery, while farmer’s cheese dry and dense. If using curd cheese or farmer’s cheese, add 2-3 tablespoons or more, as needed, of milk to the batter.